Effluvium was a wandering creature. No one location kept it. And somehow, it's wanderings had brought it to Draco. The creature sniffed. There was no apprehension. No fear of this dark, ominous location. It barely gave it's surroundings the bat of an eye. The same thing that drove it through life, had driven it here. Hunger. And so it investigated. Not for relics, as other gembound might. But for food.

A mass, the vague shape of faces entwined, sniffed along the ground. Searching for food. Edibles. There was a vague grumble now and then. A tentacled or malformed limb scraping at the ground. A tongue, testing the earth and surroundings for the flavor of flesh. And a trail of mucus, red, vile, and nearly black in the confines of Draco.

- THE LEVIATHAN -

What in the Black Spire's hot hell is that?
Vargas stared at the shifting pile of formless flesh slopping its way on malformed legs across the rocky floor, bemused. Possibilities crossed his mind.

Was it an creation that had broken free of a chrysalis, unfinished and misshapen...? But no: he had checked them, all of them.

Was it a meat-gift from the Creator..? A test and a meal, all in one? That seemed-... Unlikely, but not impossible.

After a few moments of squinting, in which the Master could think of no further possibilities (certainly that it was not an actual Gembound wandering in--those were invariably furred, feathered or scaled and at least had the decency to be symmetrical), Vargas pushed up from his haunches. A few long strides took him to Effluvium, and he noticed that it was sniffing--hunting? A glance around had him doubtful. Pegasus had Lessers--Draco was relatively barren. So what was it doing here..?

It reminded him of the thing that had fought in the arena--was it the same, only grown much larger..? Was this that--thing? It didn't take away from his question, however; it still told him nothing of its origins.

"You," he barked, at length; and was then, briefly, at a loss as to what to say next. Or, rather, what to ask first. "What are you?" he settled on, six toxic eyes narrowing.

@Effluvium

kethri !

Kethri saw the meat heap coming a mile away- though not literally. She looked at the hunk of meat she'd stolen, long since dissolved into more black goo (kept separate from the stuff she'd stolen from Scout's death), and then back to the creature, a grimace on her face.

She took flight and landed next to Vargas, eyes narrowed, "... I was unaware it would be this mobile. I've met this thing before, Master Vargas..."

She hissed, eyes narrowed, feathers puffing up, "It was the creature who tore up my leg."

Stupid rotting meat-beast! One chunk of flesh and that would have been it! After burning her legs, having the flesh nearly stripped from her bones was more than enough to take the foot out for a good while. It was only just starting to function as it used to.

"I recommend we turn it away," she growled, clearly not at all pleased that the creature was here, "It has no sentience, Master Vargas, and I doubt it can be trained. Perhaps taking it's stone and breeding it would be a kinder fate than the one it unfortunately leads."

Caves she hated that thing.

@Effluvium

Effluvium nosed the shards of an empty chrysalis. Then, it shoved it within its mouth, after a moment of fighting with the sheer chaos of it. Crunched. Flavorless. It lowered its head to drop the shard, when it heard a voice. Something speaking. Effluvium's head shot up, eyes searching its surroundings, and coming to rest on a massive purple and green creature. It didn't really ring a bell within Effluvium's head. The fight between it and Carja it had mostly been focused on Carja.

Likewise, in the midst of the golem battle, it'd been focused on what it thought was Bone's corpse. The question it posed was familiar. The short long not-food that breathed fire had asked that too. Its jaws shifted, thinking about it. Effluvium's head tilted, as it pondered the question. Effluvium was Effluvium.

"Effluvium is." It said. The chunk of chrysalis hit the ground as it spoke. It seemed like more should come after the pair of words, but the creature had nothing more to say to it. It turned to the ground once more, nosing the shard along. That was, until Effluvium heard a familiar voice. A stray pair of eyes turned from the chrysalis towards the purple monster. And there, besides it, was a white owl. It didn't pay much attention to the owl's words. But the owl's form.

Effluvium turned, staring at it. It took a few seconds for the neurons to fire, but Effluvium remembered it. It had been screaming at Effluvium. Taken Effluvium's meat. The memory made it angry. Effluvium growled. It left the shard, stalking towards Kethri. "Give food back." Effluvium said. The amount of time that'd passed since the flesh had been taken didn't seem to bother it.

"When I speak."

When I think.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Unfortunately for Effluvium, Master Vargas had zero experience with Kethri being something of a snide and lying shit. He took the owl at its word, assuming that Kethri's words told the entirety of the story. "Your leg was damaged?" Vargas asked bluntly--he'd had no idea, hadn't been informed and seemed relatively disinterested in the fact. He grunted, then, stomping forward between Kethri and Effluvium. In his mind, Effluvium must have attacked Kethri, and the bird had somehow (this did leave a slight question in his mind) escaped. Surely "give food back," given Effluvium's shambling rush toward the owl, was a demand to eat Kethri. "How did you escape it?" he asked, if only wondering if the owl had had some notable method of self-defense to be recognized and perhaps utilized, even rewarded. "EFFLUVIUM IS WHAT?" Vargas abruptly demanded to the meat-shambler, his voice booming. The thing was big, and he guessed instinctively that it would be difficult to kill.

A tentative reach of magic--intended to stop the thing so he could speak to it--failed, and he rose up to his full and towering height (still, though, on all fours). "Not sentient? -GIVE ME ONE REASON NOT TO DESTROY YOUR FLESH AND REMAKE SOMETHING NEW FROM YOUR STONE, if even it is WORTH it."

His eyes travelled over Effluvium's body. It might be the sort of thing to toss into a cave full of enemies--let it eat as much as it liked, there--but for any real use it seemed pointless. Soft and easily-wounded; slow. Hard to destroy for smaller creatures without magic, perhaps, but fire--or, really, any magic--would likely obliterate it.

Did it have magic of its own? Would it know to use it? Or was it a pointless, mindless thing?

@Kethri

kethri !

Kethri grumbled and nodded, "Yes, sir. Unfortunately a spell had backfired not long before I encountered Effluvium- I believe that's it's name-, and I burnt my legs in the process. I'd been trying to get a Greater flesh sample to test with the goo I'd collected earlier- my apologies if that wasn't allowed- but I failed because of the backfire and went off to try and find a different source."

The owl squawked and took flight, staying a good ten feet above the creature, far away from it's mouth, hissing at it for a moment, "This thing was attacking a child! Or about to! It was all I could do to dive in, tear a chunk off, and try to regroup before it grabbed my leg in it's stupid teeth- I was afraid of infection from it, and I was bleeding."

She stuck out her leg, showing off the scars and cuts, lacing through old burns, the scales having been torn through like butter. She was lucky to be able to use the foot at all. Dexterity would be an issue for later.

"The beast has a one-track mind," she said, "As you can see, it cares only for 'food'. Once it had eyes on the weaker prey, it ignored me, allowing me to fly off. It's not very fast, I don't think, and obviously cannot fly. Thank goodness it can't."

Kethri circled high above, wary of the thing and its arms and teeth, her legs very carefully tucked up into her feathers.

I hope Vargas kills it, she thought bitterly, Stupid thing. May as well just be a food source if anything- I don't even see a scar among all that... disgustingness. Ugh.

@Effluvium

Effluvium padded forward, eyes locked on Kethri. It ignored Kethri's speech. It had no need for Kethri's words. couldn't see its flesh in the owl's talons, but it was sure the owl had it somewhere. Vargas was addressing it, then. 'Effluvium is what?' Effluvium, assuming Vargas was talking about what Effluvium wanted, now, said as much.

"Effluvium is hungry," the flesh beast said. A moment of attention, now gone. It was focused on Kethri now. The pale bird took flight, hissing at Effluvium. Effluvium's limbs curled into the ground. It roared, angry Kethri hadn't given its flesh back. Rather childishly assuming Kethri still had it on her person, hidden somewhere. Effluvium and rose off its front limbs, snapping at the air. Kethri was still a distance from it, but the dominant part of Effluvium thought it could will Kethri to the ground. "Give!" It screamed.

Vargas' purple form rose in Effluvium's periphery. Effluvium's attention snapped to it immediately. It wasn't a paragon of intellect, understanding, or speaking words, but 'destroy', 'flesh, and 'your' in the same sentence, including yelling, were enough to make it pause. Especially from something larger than it. The dragonbat experience had taught it some self preservation, some caution, at least.

Effluvium went on the defensive. It fell to its front limbs again. Eying Vargas, trying to figure out his words. It took a step back, twisting the words in its mind, trying to draw some understanding. And, surprisingly, it got the meaning. Mostly. Effluvium, realizing it was being threatened, hissed and snarled. "Effluvium's flesh only!"

Effluvium would not be remade! Effluvium tensed, lowering its head, jaws chewing at nothing. Trying to remember how strong prey acted when it attacked. Its' memory drew blanks. Distracted by its mental activity, its stance relaxed. It opted to roar, as good a threat, a preparation, as any.


"When I speak."

When I think.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas stared down, part of his mind immediately annoyed by Kethri. "You attacked it first-? That would be the first thing to mention," he told her dourly. But she was right: the meat-pile was clearly not fully sentient. Instead it was screaming, and thrashing, and generally a likely threat to his creations should it remain around.

"Leave," he told it firmly, his voice cold with the threat of death. If it did not, he would attempt to end it--reuse its stone later, perhaps, for something else.

There was nothing more to say. Oh, except--"And do not return here."

@Kethri

kethri !

Kethri flapped frantically as it snapped at her, rising further into the air and hissing at it, tempted to try and toss a fireball at the damn thing (not that such a thing had ever really worked in the past). She fluttered next to Vargas, hovering beside him and using him as a shield between her and the monster below.

Suddenly an idea flourished, "Wait- Master Vargas! I've got an idea, it's crazy but... it's food driven. I suspect it's carnivorous and if it followed the trail of it's flesh here, then it's a blood hound. It's resilient, sir, we could use it..."

Oh yes, she hated the thing, but perhaps it had use.

She flew off momentarily and brought back an empty lesser skull full of black liquid, dropping it on the ground, "Here! There's your flesh- it turned to goo, but sure, you can have it back."

Kethri was getting tired from all this hovering, so she dared to land next to Vargas, knowing that if the creature dared to get close, the Master would most certainly smash it into the ground like playdough.

"But anyway, if we can at least convince it to give stone or something, we could at the very least use it to create monstrosities that are equally resilient," she continued, and gave it a hungry look, "If it can be trained and possibly corrupted, then perhaps it can become one of the very chaotic hellbeasts you strive to have in your arsenal."

Now she only hoped that the stupid thing wouldn't get angry at her for dumping goo at it's feet.

@Effluvium

Effluvium snarled. It thought over Vargas' words. It eyed the larger beast. Wondering if it could kill and consume the creature, and keep the cave for itself. The owl fluttered off, and Effluvium gave it a second of attention. Then, eyes snapped back to Vargas. There was not much of use here. Not much to eat. It was thinking that through, when a skull clattered in front of it. A black liquid inside. Kethri claimed it was Effluvium's flesh, and Effluvium would take it. Effluvium had no reason to believe the creature lied, or that the flesh was unsafe. Instead, Effluvium pawed the skull closer to it with a forelimb, before snapping up the hot liquid. It didn't think over the texture, the flavor, or the lack thereof.

A satisfied gurgle bubbled out, though its stance did not relax. Effluvium would not take a threat to its being lightly. Fueled by its sudden animosity towards Vargas, the creature began to back up. A guttural hiss in its throat. A warning not to approach it. It had no idea what Vargas could or would do, but replays of the dragonbats flashed in its mind. It didn't think on Kethri's words. None of the words sentences really appealed to it, aside from the brief mention of its flesh. Once it had backed what it considered a good distance away, growling and hissing the whole way, it began to trot towards the way it came in. Pegasus, where it was bound to find food to indulge in, within its wanderings.


"When I speak."

When I think.

@Vargas
;exit unless stopped??
+2 corruption points uh oh!